Orlando Extended Metro Developments (Volusia/Brevard/East Polk)

[jrs2]

17 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

Volusia County tourism growth over a decade comes in next to last among Florida’s coastal counties (but they’re ahead of Cedar Key!).

But, hey, the same old concrete canyons pitched for 30 years in the county’s linchpin beach town will turn it all around any day now!

https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20190609/volusia-again-set-tourism-record-but-still-lags-behind-in-florida

From the News-Journal 

Hey, their plans are at least as effective as Marco Polo Park...

yeah, I read that article.  beach tourism grew by 2% while the state's beach tourism increased by 6%.   At least it grew...even by 2%, at a place that boarded up or razed dozens of hotels and motels in the past 15 years, and finally has been able to get many of the major hotel brands to open up shop on the beach (and a couple of timeshare companies).  A place where two consecutive years of hurricanes damaged many more properties; and had the roller coaster incident at it's Boardwalk which sent its popularity backwards even more.  All these negatives which saw a net positive of the Hard Rock redo of the Desert Inn, the Putin Palace construction, Joes Crab Shack on The Pier, a redo of The Streamline Hotel, a new location for Starbucks, and that Thrill Park thingy a few blocks from the Boardwalk, a redo of the cinema at Oceanwalk, and a new sign at Ocean Center that's u/c.  I wonder how Daytona convention traffic compares to those other coastal beach towns. 

Daytona's got it's problems, but there are many facets to it beyond just beach tourism.  We know what those are and where the trends are, but I would also like to see those beach tourism numbers go up drastically.  Maybe bring back MTV if that's even a thing anymore...

 

[spenser1058]

7 minutes ago, jrs2 said:

yeah, I read that article.  beach tourism grew by 2% while the state's beach tourism increased by 6%.   At least it grew...even by 2%, at a place that boarded up or razed dozens of hotels and motels in the past 15 years, and finally has been able to get many of the major hotel brands to open up shop on the beach (and a couple of timeshare companies).  A place where two consecutive years of hurricanes damaged many more properties; and had the roller coaster incident at it's Boardwalk which sent its popularity backwards even more.  All these negatives which saw a net positive of the Hard Rock redo of the Desert Inn, the Putin Palace construction, Joes Crab Shack on The Pier, a redo of The Streamline Hotel, a new location for Starbucks, and that Thrill Park thingy a few blocks from the Boardwalk, a redo of the cinema at Oceanwalk, and a new sign at Ocean Center that's u/c.  I wonder how Daytona convention traffic compares to those other coastal beach towns. 

Daytona's got it's problems, but there are many facets to it beyond just beach tourism.  We know what those are and where the trends are, but I would also like to see those beach tourism numbers go up drastically.  Maybe bring back MTV if that's even a thing anymore...

 

And maybe embrace what made you interesting in the first place rather than building overpriced generic concrete bunkers that don’t reflect your core audience while letting everything else on the beachside rot.

In other words, use the Miami Beach model instead of the Atlantic City one.

[jrs2]

2 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

And maybe embrace what made you interesting in the first place rather than building overpriced generic concrete bunkers that don’t reflect your core audience while letting everything else on the beachside rot.

In other words, use the Miami Beach model instead of the Atlantic City one.

LOL.  they tore down all of the old art deco motel/hotels...

maybe have a label come in and build a resort property comprised of small art deco hotel buildings...

[spenser1058]

1 minute ago, jrs2 said:

LOL.  they tore down all of the old art deco motel/hotels...

maybe have a label come in and build a resort property comprised of small art deco hotel buildings...

Admittedly, they’ve been screwing it up for 30 years now, but there are still parts of the  legacy Daytona left.

(1) Hold on to whatever’s left of the Broadwalk and make it an enterprise zone to encourage quirky, small businesses.

(2) NASCAR exists because of driving on the beach - it’s part of the heritage. STOP walling it off. 

(3) God love it, Main Street still works. Stop making parking lots out of it and preserve its funkiness.

(4) Any coquina left around the bandshell and Broadwalk should be preserved. Also, make it a priority to keep the Bandshell in top condition and program it regularly during temperate months. Let’s also work on sprucing up the Peabody.

(5) Beachside residents are NOT the enemy. Encourage organic redevelopment of the neighborhoods with low-cost loans, tax credits, guidance from neighborhood groups like Riverside-Avondale Preservation in Jax who’ve brought neighborhoods back from the dead.

(6) Manage special events - if DBPD can’t keep them out of the neighborhoods, then dial them back.

(7) Make sure whatever landmark hotels like the Sea Dip that haven’t been leveled are saved. When there are hundreds of beach towns to pick from, make sure ours is unique. By making Daytona’s beachside generic, it found itself going from “The World’s Most Famous Beach” to an also-ran to... Myrtle Beach? Egad!

(8) Think about a road diet for A1A. When’s the last time YOU dared to walk along Atlantic Ave.?

That’s just to start - the more folks involved at the grass roots level, the more unique it will be and the more it becomes a must-see destination.

 

[jrs2]

10 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

Admittedly, they’ve been screwing it up for 30 years now, but there are still parts of the  legacy Daytona left.

(1) Hold on to whatever’s left of the Broadwalk and make it an enterprise zone to encourage quirky, small businesses.

(2) NASCAR exists because of driving on the beach - it’s part of the heritage. STOP walling it off. 

(3) God love it, Main Street still works. Stop making parking lots out of it and preserve its funkiness.

(4) Any coquina left around the bandshell and Broadwalk should be preserved. Also, make it a priority to keep the Bandshell in top condition and program it regularly during temperate months. Let’s also work on sprucing up the Peabody.

(5) Beachside residents are NOT the enemy. Encourage organic redevelopment of the neighborhoods with low-cost loans, tax credits, guidance from neighborhood groups like Riverside-Avondale Preservation in Jax who’ve brought neighborhoods back from the dead.

(6) Manage special events - if DBPD can’t keep them out of the neighborhoods, then dial them back.

(7) Make sure whatever landmark hotels like the Sea Dip that haven’t been leveled are saved. When there are hundreds of beach towns to pick from, make sure ours is unique. By making Daytona’s beachside generic, it found itself going from “The World’s Most Famous Beach” to an also-ran to... Myrtle Beach? Egad!

(8) Think about a road diet for A1A. When’s the last time YOU dared to walk along Atlantic Ave.?

That’s just to start - the more folks involved at the grass roots level, the more unique it will be and the more it becomes a must-see destination.

 

simply... wow!

[AmIReal]

On ‎6‎/‎8‎/‎2019 at 6:27 PM, Uncommon said:

Reported.

Having been published and having been a publisher (print and online) I have an appreciation for creators and their creation. I also have a fairly strong understanding of fair use. While I did post a large portion of the article (roughly 30%) my re-posting was primarily for comment, I did not attempt to commercialize or monetize it and it did not detract from the content owners ability to monetize it (as observed by only 2 readers here commenting on it- you being one of them).

My re-posting of the content does meet fair use standards. Righthaven v. Hoehn is a pretty good example. A simplified explanation is here- https://www.wired.com/2011/06/fair-use-defense/ 

If Admin  disagrees they can certainly remove.

Or did you report it for some other reason.

[AmIReal]

4 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

Admittedly, they’ve been screwing it up for 30 years now, but there are still parts of the  legacy Daytona left.

(1) Hold on to whatever’s left of the Broadwalk and make it an enterprise zone to encourage quirky, small businesses.

(2) NASCAR exists because of driving on the beach - it’s part of the heritage. STOP walling it off. 

(3) God love it, Main Street still works. Stop making parking lots out of it and preserve its funkiness.

(4) Any coquina left around the bandshell and Broadwalk should be preserved. Also, make it a priority to keep the Bandshell in top condition and program it regularly during temperate months. Let’s also work on sprucing up the Peabody.

(5) Beachside residents are NOT the enemy. Encourage organic redevelopment of the neighborhoods with low-cost loans, tax credits, guidance from neighborhood groups like Riverside-Avondale Preservation in Jax who’ve brought neighborhoods back from the dead.

(6) Manage special events - if DBPD can’t keep them out of the neighborhoods, then dial them back.

(7) Make sure whatever landmark hotels like the Sea Dip that haven’t been leveled are saved. When there are hundreds of beach towns to pick from, make sure ours is unique. By making Daytona’s beachside generic, it found itself going from “The World’s Most Famous Beach” to an also-ran to... Myrtle Beach? Egad!

(8) Think about a road diet for A1A. When’s the last time YOU dared to walk along Atlantic Ave.?

That’s just to start - the more folks involved at the grass roots level, the more unique it will be and the more it becomes a must-see destination.

I love that you have thought this through so well. It shows you really have an interest and a good understanding of what you what to see. However, I'd say I would disagree with several of those points. I think it goes to show different people can have a good understanding of a problem and a strong interest in an outcome, but have a different view of said outcome.

(1) According to recent press Boardwalk is doing pretty well and doesn't need subsidized. From my perspective, if you are 30 yards from the beach and serve as the only centralized source of entertainment and can not make a go of it then people really don't want what you're selling. I am all for enterprise zones, but not for retail, beachside properties.

(2) I'm all in on ban beach side driving. I could care less if Fred Astaire did it, it is damaging to the environment and unsafe.

(3) Main St is a s**show and needs replaced. It is not funky. It is rotted and it appeals to a very limited few. You don't need to demo the building- just remove the people, power wash it, do a sage cleanse and start anew.

(4,5,6) Agreed, but when they closed off all the local streets I think this was their intention. When your major events center around vehicles, guess what you get.

(7) Whether those hotels get rebuilt or demo, they all need complete overalls and brands. Either way, let the market price them accordingly. Get them done, open and making money. Travelers are so much more resourceful now days and have much higher expectations than what Daytona is providing.

(8) 100% agree. Planted medians, lighted crosswalks, more lights, whatever it takes.

A few things I'd add. If you really want to throw money somewhere toss it at the properties across from the beach. If you drive the strip, this is the worst of it. 

Also, fix the entry points. ISW is a war zone once you cross the bridge.

7 hours ago, jrs2 said:

beach tourism grew by 2% while the state's beach tourism increased by 6%.   At least it grew...even by 2%, at a place that boarded up or razed dozens of hotels and motels in the past 15 years, and finally has been able to get many of the major hotel brands to open up shop on the beach (and a couple of timeshare companies).

Very good points. The article is focused on growth rate as opposed to sheer numbers, in which Daytona does much better. It's easy to show a 80% improvement if you start in the cellar as a lot of other small beach communities are. Daytona had a terrible 20 years of storms, bankruptcy, incompetence and bad luck, but they are still in the top 5 branded beaches in the south. They badly need to turn around their lost decade (or two) and signs seem to point toward that direction.

As I've mentioned. I don't live there- I've lived in downtown Orlando for ages. I do own investment property there and I have been going there (for fun) since the 70's so I try to keep my finger on the pulse. I've seen significant changes and improvements in the past 4-6 years (as die off of some of the old guard occurs) and hopefully they continue.

[spenser1058]

(Delightful!) DeLand is getting Volusia’s first Earth Fare in the former Winn-Dixie on US 17-92 between DeLand and Orange City.

Sadly, it’s a very suburban location.

https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20190610/earth-fare-grocery-coming-to-deland?template=ampart

From the News-Journal 

[codypet]

That Winn-Dixie location which prior to that was a Goodings.  My understanding is that Publix still holds the lease for the old Publix across the street that they abandoned a few years ago.  

[AmIReal]

Some rumblings on Main St and its not motorcycles.

Developer plans possible hotel, restaurant on Daytona’s Main St

The former President of Lamborghini Canada bought 2 buildings and plans to spiff them up- with what purpose is unknown.

https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20190611/developer-plans-possible-hotel-restaurant-on-daytonas-main-st

Also rumors abound that Consolidated Tomoka has interest in Main St properties.

Consolidated-Tomoka casts an eye over Daytona’s Main Street- this one sounds pretty iffy right now, but would supposedly be mixed use based on some concepts they previously submitted for discussion of cleaning up the area.

https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20190607/consolidated-tomoka-casts-eye-over-daytonas-main-street

 

[spenser1058]

Meanwhile, the Volusia beach town that works:

http://amp.coastalliving.com/travel/top-10/new-smyrna-beach-florida?source=dam

From Coastal Living

 

[jrs2]

2 hours ago, AmIReal said:

Some rumblings on Main St and its not motorcycles.

Developer plans possible hotel, restaurant on Daytona’s Main St

The former President of Lamborghini Canada bought 2 buildings and plans to spiff them up- with what purpose is unknown.

https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20190611/developer-plans-possible-hotel-restaurant-on-daytonas-main-st

Also rumors abound that Consolidated Tomoka has interest in Main St properties.

Consolidated-Tomoka casts an eye over Daytona’s Main Street- this one sounds pretty iffy right now, but would supposedly be mixed use based on some concepts they previously submitted for discussion of cleaning up the area.

https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20190607/consolidated-tomoka-casts-eye-over-daytonas-main-street

 

the thing that ticks me off about Main St. is not the biker crowd; it's that there are some empty lots and parking lots fronting it which can't be allowed ever.  

[AmIReal]

14 hours ago, jrs2 said:

the thing that ticks me off about Main St. is not the biker crowd; it's that there are some empty lots and parking lots fronting it which can't be allowed ever.  

That is a shame. I assume it is because no one wants to make the investment in the area as long as the majority of the street is only active for events. If the 2 projects mentioned in the above articles get done, plus the 3-4 new businesses that have opened in the past year, plus a lot of cleaning then they may have something. That should entice builders to fill those lots. Btw, I drove the street about a month ago and many of the buildings are vacant and for sale/ lease. Those also need filled.

[AmIReal]

Two items of good news. B-CU (BCC) does not get off the hook, but does get a nice reprieve from their potential death sentence. 

Board rules to extend B-CU’s probation https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20190613/board-rules-to-extend-b-cus-probation

I would hope a 114 year old institution could find a way to fix the numerous problems.

And heres something you don't see everyday

Contractor finishes lighting jobs on I-4, I-95 early

https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20190613/contractor-finishes-lighting-jobs-on-i-4-i-95-early

Sanford to Daytona completed 6 mos ahead of schedule and Daytona to Ormond 3 mos. 

A key to their success... vacuum trucks.

[jrs2]

11 minutes ago, AmIReal said:

Two items of good news. B-CU (BCC) does not get off the hook, but does get a nice reprieve from their potential death sentence. 

Board rules to extend B-CU’s probation https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20190613/board-rules-to-extend-b-cus-probation

I would hope a 114 year old institution could find a way to fix the numerous problems.

And heres something you don't see everyday

Contractor finishes lighting jobs on I-4, I-95 early

https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20190613/contractor-finishes-lighting-jobs-on-i-4-i-95-early

Sanford to Daytona completed 6 mos ahead of schedule and Daytona to Ormond 3 mos. 

A key to their success... vacuum trucks.

yeah, so, before this, the only lighted interchange was I-4/Saxon Rd.  Now, you have the interchanges with Dirksen, 472, SR 44, Orange Camp Rd., the I-4 Orange Ave interchange adjacent to the St. John's River Bridge (Seminole), and I-4/US 92 interchange.  I don't know if lights are on at I-95/I-4 yet.

It has been very, very helpful at night.  reasonable small stretches of dark zone in between.

[HankStrong]

19 hours ago, AmIReal said:

A key to their success... vacuum trucks.

A trend that I hope grows to become the new norm.  It is so much safer and effective.

[jrs2]

BTW, the Brown & Brown HQ building on Beach St. has gone vertical for the past couple of weeks.  Elevator shafts are going up it seems; three of them.  I'll snap something next time I get a chance

[spenser1058]

Can the conversion of a failing big box shopping center near ERAU and DAB into space for private launch firms along the Space Coast bring the glory days back to Daytona?

With Space Square we may find out:

https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20190616/developer-eyes-volusia-square-shopping-center-for-aerospace-hub

From the News-Journal 

[jrs2]

17 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

Can the conversion of a failing big box shopping center near ERAU and DAB into space for private launch firms along the Space Coast bring the glory days back to Daytona?

With Space Square we may find out:

https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20190616/developer-eyes-volusia-square-shopping-center-for-aerospace-hub

From the News-Journal 

there's already a business of some type at West Oaks Mall.  I can see them doing something similar at Volusia Mall.  That's always a good idea, namely, bringing in a head-count increaser, like an office, hotel, or apartment building.

I miss the not so distant old days when Service Merchandise was behind Volusia Mall.  I thought that was so cool to have them as a retail option right there...

[spenser1058]

Get ready for quite a show - SpaceX is planning its first nighttime launch of its massive Falcon Heavy rocket Monday night June 24.

It won’t take many of these to send Brevard’s tourism industry into orbit!

https://www.space.com/amp/spacex-falcon-heavy-megarocket-test-fire-stp-2.html

From Space

[jrs2]

16 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

Get ready for quite a show - SpaceX is planning its first nighttime launch of its massive Falcon Heavy rocket Monday night June 24.

It won’t take many of these to send Brevard’s tourism industry into orbit!

https://www.space.com/amp/spacex-falcon-heavy-megarocket-test-fire-stp-2.html

From Space

can you post a reminder on Monday please?  thx!

[jrs2]

Oh, BTW, the old Food Lion on Granada & Riverside has been converted to Lucky's.  It has been open for a month now.  Just like all the other locations.  Major thumbs up because that closed down Food Lion was shuttered for a much longer time than that Winn Dixie was in Maitland where the City Center now stands.  Also, Starbucks built a stand alone building and moved out of the plaza near A1A just down the street.  This is brand new.

[spenser1058]

Find out about the future of Florida and space tourism tonight at 8:30pm on WUCF TV - Where you can Charge On! With Public Television!

 

[spenser1058]

NSB City Commission about to vote on first acquisitions to save environmentally sensitive land along Turnbull Creek.

It’s a relatively small purchase at this point but it’s movement in the right direction unlike the path some of the other towns in East Volusia are taking.

There are some beautiful areas along the Trumbull watershed - if you’re ever at the beach it’s worth wandering to the mainland to check it out.

https://www.hometownnewsvolusia.com/news/commission-to-vote-on-first-turnbull-creek-property-buy/article_9921b136-910e-11e9-a3f0-d7302e84e59d.html

From Hometown News

 

 

 

 

 

[spenser1058]

The window for tonight’s Falcon Heavy launch is 11:30pm-3:30am. At least the kids are out of school...